Becoming Mr. Claus: Why playing Santa is a 'deceptively complex job'
Michael McCain plays Santa at Brentwood mall in Burnaby, B.C.
It wasn't supposed to turn into a decades-long career.
Michael McCain's 21-year stint playing Santa Claus started after his very first time in the role, which he did at the home of his friends one year on Christmas Eve.
"I only had to have the first little three-year-old girl sit on my lap and look up at me with those big blue eyes and I was hooked," McCain said.
McCain, 71, now plays Santa at two malls, one of them the Brentwood Mall in Burnaby, B.C. He does it seven days a week, for five weeks.
Santas for hire get paid as little as $15 per hour, with top Santas raking in up to $30,000 in a season. Most of those working in a mall get paid between $15 and $30 per hour.
But for McCain, playing Santa comes with rewards far beyond monetary value. It's a role he loves so much that he uses his annual vacation time to do it. The rest of the year he works at a car dealership.
Over the years, McCain has learned the tricks of his trade to navigate tricky requests and keep his emotions in check. He has also learned how important Santa is — for children young and old.
Tricks and tips
"It's a deceptively complex job — you can't just put a red suit on a white-haired guy and expect them to play Santa Claus in a believable manner," he said.
McCain says he never really knows what a child is going to ask for when they sit on his lap. The easy ones ask for Lego, he says. But he's also been asked for toothpaste and yoga videos.
And then there are the gifts that everyone wants and no one can get: The Hatchimals, Fingerlings and Tickle-Me-Elmos of the toy world.
For these, he has a few tricks. For one, Santa never promises a gift — he only says he will do his best.
"I'll usually say to the child, 'We're behind schedule ... is there a second thing you might like?" he said. "They'll usually give me an option, which helps the parents greatly."
Emotionally taxing
But the hardest part of the job for McCain is a different type of request. McCain says children also ask him to end tough situations they're experiencing, like a serious illness or parents getting divorced.
For them, he offers a little prayer with Ms. Claus and the elves back at the North Pole.
Recently, a boy told him he didn't want to get chemotherapy done anymore. Another time, a family came to him with a two-month-old baby who only had a few weeks left to live.
"It's a challenge to keep a smile on your face in a situation like that," he said. "I did have to call a timeout after I gave him back to the parents, and sort of collected my thoughts."
Being Santa can also be emotionally taxing for McCain because he lost his grandson at birth.
"Each little one I hold, I seem to experience two emotions now — one of sadness and one just of utter joy of being able to hold the little miracle," he said.
"I just love it. I tell people I may have lost a grandson, but in December I have thousands."
Children of all ages
There are also the children of all ages who come to visit Santa. McCain says he never knows what to expect with them.
One 87-year-old woman asked him a a new birthday suit. She told him hers was old and wrinkled and didn't hold its shape anymore.
"I think what adults seem to love coming to see Santa Claus is just the opportunity to relive being a child," he said.
For the parents and grandparents who come along for the visit, McCain has learned to say Merry Christmas in more than 100 languages. He learned to do so after he noticed how their eyes would light up, just like the children's.
McCain says he is usually pretty tired by the end of a long day playing Santa Claus. But he still loves doing it, and doesn't see himself retiring anytime soon.
"Santa Claus has grown to be a gentle, non-judgmental symbol of love, kindness and unselfish giving — and who wouldn't want to play a character like that?" he said.
"I'll do this for as long as I can stand up and hold a child."
With files from Leanne Hazon
